Bush defends painful process of base closings

Defense Department caves on data release

Posted: Saturday, May 28, 2005

By Jennifer LovenAssociated Press

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Speaking out for the first time in favor of controversial base closings, President Bush said Friday the nation is wasting billions of dollars on unnecessary military facilities and needs the money for the war on terrorism.

Bush, who faces opposition from many states to shutting down bases, tried to be reassuring. He said the bases would be chosen fairly and the government would do all it could to help affected communities recover.

The Navy Supply Corps School in Athens was among the bases the Department of Defense on May 13 said should be closed as a part of this year's round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). The recommendations are now in the hands of the independent nine-member Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission that is visiting bases nationwide and reviewing the recommendations.

Bush made clear that the process - however painful - could not be avoided.

In a speech to graduates of the Naval Academy, he said the closings and realignments "will result in a military that is more efficient and better prepared so you can better protect the American people against the dangers of this new century."

"In this war, there is only one option and that is victory," he said, to cheers from midshipmen, relatives and faculty at the academy on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.

When Bush last spoke at a Naval Academy commencement, it was four months before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and his focus was his administration's effort to reshape the military into a faster, lighter and more flexible - but not larger - fighting force.

Since the attacks, and amid a global anti-terror campaign and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a top-to-bottom military transformation is even more necessary, Bush said. Keys to the success are new technology, repositioning of global forces, new weapons and realigned bases at home, he said.

AP

President Bush, attended this years ceremony and used the platform to speak out for the first time in favor of controversial base closings.

Bush said he understands the fears in cities where bases have been marked for changes or closure. The first round of closings in a decade has members of Congress and local officials working hard to protect the 33 major bases slated for closure and the 29 others proposed for downsizing.

"I know firsthand how hard base closings can be on local communities," said the former Texas governor who saw facilities shut down in his state.

Under fire from Congress, the Defense Department on Friday promised to give lawmakers access by next Tuesday afternoon detailed material backing up its recommendations to shut down about 180 military installations across the country.

Parts of the report are classified, so the Pentagon said lawmakers and staff with security clearances who want to see the classified information must review that data at a secure location in northern Virginia.

The announcement comes in the wake of increasing demands from lawmakers and state and local officials for the release of what will be an unprecedented amount of data in defense of the base closing plan. Lawmakers hope to use the information to persuade the independent commission reviewing the base closings to remove certain installations from the hit list.

But with the first hearing two weeks away, there was concern about how much community officials will be able to see.

Though all bases have defenders, Bush suggested most efforts to save them will be futile.

"We have more bases than we need," Bush said. "Supporting these facilities wastes billions of taxpayers' dollars, money that can be better spent on giving you the tools to fight terrorists and confront 21st century threats."

Defense Department caves on data release

CAPTION:U.S. Marine Eric Courtney Brye, 22, from Winona, Ohio, jumps up to click his heels after receiving diploma during the United States Naval Academy Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony at the Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Friday in Annapolis, Md. President Bush, far left, attended this year's ceremony and used the platform to speak out for the first time in favor of controversial base closings.